Jacob Siner
Your PT Website is the digital front door to your practice. Because you’re creating a PT business website, you’ll want to consider what’s most important to your patients. We’ve talked about The Best Website Tips for a PT website, but what if your competitors are doing the right thing too?
What’s the one thing that will make you stand out online amongst everyone else?
First, Make Sure Your Brand Is Clear & Established
Your brand is the most obvious difference between you and your competitors. If a potential patient compares your websites side-by-side, they aren’t looking at web design, they’re looking at branding.
Branding magazine defines branding like this:
“Branding, by definition, is a marketing practice in which a company creates a name, symbol or design that is easily identifiable as belonging to the company.”
That’s a good start, but I prefer this definition:
“Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos
Branding is only partially visual. A great brand will be described with feelings in addition to look. “Authentic, Personal, High Energy, Innovative”… It’s how seeing your practice makes people think and feel.
This Forbes article is a great deep dive into branding. But for now let’s sum it up like this– your website needs to portray the same FEEL and EXPERIENCE of your clinic in order to connect with visitors. Your people, your mission, your values– all of that is branding.
The first step to standing out is just making sure your brand really represents your clinic.
Next, Determine Your Most Unique Selling Point
Your brand matters a lot. Good branding alone will set you apart from many clinics that don’t invest in their website and brand. But how do you stand out from competitors that are doing things well? Maybe it’s big national chains or just someone with a bigger marketing staff than you.
You need a Unique Selling Point (USP).
Any salesperson will tell you the first key to beating competitors is finding what you have that they don’t, then make sure EVERYONE knows about that.
In fact, in many cases your unique selling point is the first thing that will make people stay on your website for an extra minute– it’s your hook!
Be careful though… it’s very easy to confuse your USP with things that are actually just social proof or “extra validation.”
John Doe doesn’t know what board-certified, award-winning PT/MSPT/DPT means. But he does understand “Bring Your Dog To PT” and now, he’s really curious! He’s never seen that before. It’s a strong USP.
“People Don’t Buy ‘Better.’ In Fact, They Don’t Believe You If You Say You’re Better! People Buy ‘Different.’ Don’t Tell Me What Makes You Better, Tell Me What Makes You Different.”
The DoubleTree Hotel’s USP? A fresh-baked cookie for every guest at check-in.
A unique selling point can be related to your actual care or specialization if you have a niche (see example 4 below). But, oftentimes it’s less technical than that. It’s about what the patient will experience if they choose you and needs to be described in words your audience will understand without knowing the first thing about physical therapy.
Let’s look at some clinics whose websites successfully highlight the things that make them different from their competition:
4 Examples Of Clinic Websites That Stand Out From Competition:
Unite Rehab and Perform
Team Unite.rehab.perform is located in the heart of Denver, Colorado.
Unite is fueled to deliver an unbeaten service to their community by offering concierge level physical therapy and performance training services to their clients. Unite.rehab.perform’s website is clean, cut, and straight to the point at first glance.
But the one thing that makes them stand out is the clinic’s comprehensive athletic gym. Notice how all the visuals serve to reinforce that unique selling point.
Why It Stands Out:
- Their unique selling point is their building & facilities which is a major part of what their patients will EXPERIENCE during care.
- Custom images support the brand & uniqueness.
Their staff also have impressive coaching & PT credentials that allow them to perform On-site/Virtual/Mobile Physical therapy & On-site/Virtual/ Mobile Performance Training. But the first thing you see isn’t a bunch of credentials – that’s secondary to their impressive – and unique – gym.
Essential Physical Therapy
Essential Physical Therapy is Located in Eugene, OR where they provide a warm earthy environment to their clients. When you enter Essentials PT Website, you get the same feeling.
I mean, as far as branding & experience goes, this clinic’s rugs literally match their appointment buttons. The paintings on the wall match the logo. Great branding, check!
So then what’s their unique selling point? How about a practice therapy dog, Sydney!
In addition, they’re able to claim “The MOST 5 Star Reviews” in their town. Again, reviews generally fall under the category of social proof or validation more than a USP, but having the “Most” helps it stand out as a strong hook vs. just having some testimonials.
Why It Stands Out:
- Their website is truly an extension of their practice environment.
- Feature their therapy dog in the Staff Spotlight.
- Not just reviews, but the MOST 5-star reviews (a verifiable claim).
The Physical Therapy Zone
Get In the Zone with The Physical Therapy Zone, Located in the heart of Old town Alexandria!
The Physical Therapy Zone Website opens up with a calming tone with a few hints of electric colors. Just enough colors to emphasize their most important features.
The site includes their clinic’s reputation as an Award-winning PT practice by a local magazine – and rightly so! But look at the most noticeable call out in that section:
The unique selling point here is being a canine-friendly PT practice. Who doesn’t want to bring their furry friends to PT? Way to stand out from the crowd!
Why It Stands Out:
- Unique callout of “canine-friendly” is about the patient experience not the practice’s accolades.
- Bright, colorful brand is offset by custom pictures and white space. So the branding is strong, but the important buttons & messages still stand out.
Athletix Rehab & Recovery
Imagine walking into physical therapy and having former Baltimore Orioles Shortstop, Manny Machado, at the table next to you? You can at Athletix Rehab & Recovery!
Being in the heart of Miami, Athletix sees a handful of Professional Athletes in their Practice. What better way to drive more new patients then the hopes of getting to see a professional athlete? This unique selling point actually does 2 things at once: attracts other professional athletes and helps sell the patients who want to be like those athletes.
There’s even a menu button specifically for them:
Your Turn: What’s Your USP?
Your website is the digital gateway to your practice. There are plenty of ways to drive more traffic to your website, but when they get there make sure you advertise whatever your unique approach to business is.
Think about all the things your patients experience in your clinic OTHER than actual medical care. That’s where you’ll find (or be able to create) the unique selling point that will set you apart from local competition. Next, put it on your website loud & proud.
Each one of these websites was designed by the team at Practice Promotions. Click here for more examples & success stories
